Polish Law Could End Most Abortions

23.01.2018

Lawmakers in Poland are considering pro-life legislation that would outlaw abortions performed because the unborn child has a congenital disorder or deformity. Members of parliament rejected a bill that would have allowed abortion through the first trimester of pregnancy. Instead, the country’s lawmakers promoted the “Stop Abortion” bill that would ban abortion for pregnancies in which the baby had been diagnosed with a congenital disorder of a disability.

The new proposal, if passed, could eliminate the majority of abortions legally performed in Poland. Around 1,100 legal abortions took place in 2016. Of these abortions, 1,042 took place because the child was deformed.

“We have come to parliament today because we don’t want hospitals turning into abattoirs,” said Kaja Godek of the Life and Family Foundation, who introduced the bill to parliament.

The European Parliament had earlier threatened to take legal action against Poland if legislators promoted the new restrictions.

The Law and Justice party (PiS), which has been in power since 2015, has introduced multiple pro-life bills over the past few years. The PiS has also effectively cut off public funding for in vitro fertilisation and required a prescription for the morning-after pill. PiS party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski supported the “Stop Abortion” bill, saying that all babies – deformed or not – have the right to life.

CNA. January 15.